1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,745 discloses a connector with an auxiliary housing and male tabs that project in an exposed manner from the front surface of the connector. The connector also includes receptacle with an accommodating chamber for the auxiliary housing and a receptacle for surrounding the male tabs.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-331929 discloses a connector that has a housing formed with a receptacle. A moving plate is mounted in the receptacle and is movable back and forth between a position before the front surface of the housing and a position closer to the front surface of the housing. Male tabs project from the front surface of the housing and pass through the moving plate.
The auxiliary housing of U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,745 can be inverted from a proper posture for insertion into the accommodating chamber of the frame, and there is a possibility that the auxiliary housing is forced into the accommodating chamber by pushing the walls of the receptacle outwardly. A connecting operation with a mating female housing then might be started with the auxiliary housing mounted erroneously.
An inverted insertion preventing portion has been considered for the outer surface of the auxiliary housing to interfere with the rear opening edge of the accommodating chamber when the auxiliary housing is inverted. The male tabs are exposed at a front of the connector in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,745. Thus, the leading ends of the male tabs could interfere with the moving plate of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-331929 if the auxiliary housing is in the inverted posture, even with the inverted insertion preventing portion on the outer surface of the auxiliary housing. As a result the tabs or the moving plate could be damaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,239 discloses a connector with an auxiliary housing assembled in a main housing. Tab-shaped terminals are accommodated in the auxiliary housing and project in an exposed manner from the front surface of the auxiliary housing when the auxiliary housing is alone. However, the tabs are covered in a protected manner in a receptacle of the main housing when the auxiliary housing is assembled into the main housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,522 discloses another connector with a receptacle and tabs that project into the receptacle. A moving plate is mounted in the receptacle and leading ends of the tabs project through the moving plate to position and align portions of the tabs projecting into the receptacle.
A moving plate, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,522, is required in the receptacle of U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,239 if importance is attached to positioning and protecting the tabs in the connector. The moving plate of U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,522 could be applied to the connector of U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,239, and the leading ends of the tabs will pass through the moving plate if the auxiliary housing is in a proper assembling posture. However, the leading ends of the exposed tabs could contact the rear surface of the moving plate and could be bent if the auxiliary housing is inverted.
The invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to provide a connector that prevents an erroneous assembly of an auxiliary housing and that prevents the leading ends of male tabs from being broken when the auxiliary housing is assembled into a frame.